View Traffic Stop Statistics

North Carolina Traffic Stop Statistics

You may find demographic statistics about traffic stops made by law enforcement in North Carolina and review agency reports for your area. The State Bureau of Investigation collects data on traffic stops made by all state and county law enforcement agencies as well as police departments based on population or the number of officers to population.

What Kind of Information is Collected?

Under North Carolina state law, information is collected on the initial purpose of traffic stops and the type of enforcement action taken by the driver’s sex, race, ethnicity, and age. Information on searches of drivers and passengers is also collected. For more information, you may view frequently asked questions about traffic stop statistics.

Which North Carolina law enforcement agencies report Traffic Stop Statistics?

By state law, only specific agencies which meet one of four categories must report traffic stops statistics: 1) state law enforcement officers; 2) Sheriff's Offices and county police; 3) police departments which serve municipalities of 10,000 population or more; and 4) police departments determined by an equation of full-time officers to population. There are some agencies which are not by law required-to-report but which choose voluntarily to report traffic stop statistics to the SBI.

Each year, the SBI publishes a list of agencies which are required-to-report traffic stops. You may review the 2015 list for required North Carolina law enforcement agencies to report traffic stops as of January 1, 2015.